Truths revealed
by Culf
Summary: House bumps into Arlene McNeil, wife of the paralyzed man he saves unknowingly in 3x01, and some secrets are revealed. I might write a second chapter if anyone wants me to.


AN: I had to write this after the first episode of season 3. As I have no clue on what happens after this episode, it may have been resolved, but I don't know if or how, so I wrote this. Hope you like it.  
Disclaimer: I don't own House MD. I'd like to own Gregory House and maybe Chase and Wilson, but sadly, I don't. I'm not making any money on this either.

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"Dr. House!" a woman shouted. House kept his pace, neither slowing down or turning his head towards the voice. To everyone that didn't know him, it looked like he hadn't heard the voice. Everyone who _did_ know him, however, would immediately recognise his "I'm ignoring you" walk, which had only taken a slight damage by his current lack of a cane. For all intents and purposes it still worked, but House figured the cane had added a certain amount of cool that was now missing. Luckily, House reasoned, he had such vast amount of cool that he could spare some to compensate for the missing cane.

"Dr. House!" The woman shouted again, slightly out of breath from running to catch up with him. The sudden weight of a hand on his shoulder made it impossible to feign obliviousness any longer.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning his head towards the woman in an overly demonstrative way.

"Do I know you?" he continued, raising his eyebrow in a disinterested way. He did know her, it hadn't been many weeks since she'd been to his Princeton Plainsboro, but he couldn't be bothered to try and pin a name to the face, and if he pretended not to remember, she might be hurt enough to go away. No such luck.

"The name's Arlene. Arlene McNeil. You treated my husband Richard five weeks ago." She said, smiling brightly at him.

"It doesn't count as treating if he doesn't get better," House said surly, walking away. Sometimes he really did miss that cane. A man limping off looked so much more justified than the quick stride he was keeping. Arlene, however, was not done with him.

"I know he's not 100 yet, but he's doing great, and it's all because of you. I just wanted to thank you for that." She insisted. House groaned as he came to a halt, but kept his back to the woman when he spoke.

"The man's not doing great. He's in a terrible condition, and all I managed to do was give him some temporary relief from the pain he's in." He closed his eyes, the pained look on his face hidden from Arlene.

"What are you talking about? He's doing great! He's in physio every day, he's was able to walk 10 feet on his own the other day, and he's slowly loosing the slur when he speaks. For 8 years, he was chained to that wheelchair, unable to hold me or tell his son that he loves him. Now he's able to do both, and it's because you believed in him. Don't sell yourself short, Dr. House. You changed our lives for the better. You returned a father and husband to life, and for that, I'll be eternally grateful, no matter what you want." She told him finishing her little speech with a firm embrace that left House infinitely uncomfortable. When she finally let go, he stared at her as if she was crazy.

"I didn't cure him," he maintained. "The last time I saw him, he was being wheeled out of the hospital. I didn't give him any treatment."

"One of your employees did," Arlene told him, seemingly infected by his curios disbelief. "What was her name again?" she said, trying hard to remember the name.

"Cameron?" House suggested, not really believing Cameron would do that behind his back, at least not without telling him of his success afterwards.

"No, not her," Arlene said. If not Cameron, maybe Chase, House figured. After all, he was pretty like a girl, and he had _great _hair.

"She had dark curls. Coddle? Cuddy! Dr. Lisa Cuddy," she shouted triumphantly. "She gave Richard a cortisol injection as we were leaving. To fight of injections, she said. Probably didn't want to give us any false hope." House was seething. In fact, he was so angry that even Arlene mistaking Cuddy for one of his employees didn't make up for it.

"Cuddy did what?" he said, barely controlling his anger.

"She gave him a cortisol injection." Arlene repeated, shrinking back at the aura of rage that had replaced Houses previous aura of boredom and discomfort. "Moments later, he was trying to get out of the wheelchair by himself. He almost made it as well." She continued, but House was already leaving.

"Wait, where are you going?" She called after him.

"To talk to Cuddy," was the snappish answer. "Go home to your husband, he'll want you there. I hear physio is exhausting."

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AN: It's not great, but I couldn't _not _write it after that episode. If you review(and I hope you do), please don't leave any spoilers for season 3, as I haven't seen it yet. 


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